Save Crewe mail centre

As Royal Mail prepared to announce profits of over £177 million, around 500 postal workers and supporters marched in Crewe last Saturday to demand the local mail centre is kept open.

Like hundreds of post offices up and down the country, scores of mail centres are also earmarked for closure under a “rationalisation” plan.

The Crewe postal workers clearly have a tremendous amount of support – with CWU union banners from Newcastle, Oxford, Northampton, Cambridge, Burslem and North West region PCS union among others.

The march ended with a rally. Speakers included deputy general secretary Dave Ward.

Ward said that “modernisation” should be about making things better and not about destroying lives. He said the union would fight Royal Mail every inch of the way.

He added that he had been a Labour supporter all his life but was now at the end of his tether.

The biggest noise from the crowd came when he said that we would be balloting members on getting out of the Labour Party if the government ignores us.

The union is now considering a ballot for strike action in all areas affected by mail centre closures.

Ward ended by saying that fighting does not guarantee that the mail centre will not close but it’s about respect, dignity and hope.

Local branch secretary Steve Wright replied to this by stating that the local members would make sure that they win their battle to keep their mail centre open and this was only the beginning of the fight.